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After a dominant start to the NBA Finals from the Boston Celtics, the tides have turned in favor of the Golden State Warriors. The Celtics started Game 5 with some uncharacteristically bad shooting. Boston began the game 0-12 on three-point attempts which set a record for most three-point misses to start a game. The Celtics showed some fight coming out of halftime and won the third quarter 35-24. They did so by shockingly hitting eight consecutive three's, also an NBA Finals record. This did not prove to be enough as the Warriors came surging back in the fourth quarter to secure the 104-94 victory.
The Warriors now hold a 3-2 series advantage. The team managed to secure the win even with a poor game from Stephen Curry. The two-time MVP did not make a single three-pointer for the first time in his playoff career. As the Celtics look to regroup with the series returning to Boston, here are the three Celtics most to blame for the disappointing Game 5 loss.
3 Celtics most to blame for Game 5 collapse vs. Warriors in 2022 NBA Finals
Derrick White
Derrick White has been stellar throughout most of the postseason. He has been a valuable midseason addition who filled a need the Celtics had. Unfortunately, this was not the case in Game 5.
In 21 minutes of play, White tallied just one point, three assists, one rebound, and one steal. He shot 0-3 on three-point attempts and 0-4 from the field overall. Most of these shots were completely uncontested also. This was his worst performance throughout the entire playoffs. The Celtics were starved for bench production and White was given the most opportunity from any of the second-unit guys. White had scored 12 or more points in three of the five Finals games but was unable to have this type of impact in Game 5.
In total, the Warriors bench outscored the Celtics 31-10 in Game 5. While this does not solely fall on Derrick White's shoulders, he failed to assert himself in the way the team needed. White also was credited with allowing his matchups to score 21 points during the course of the game which was the highest total among any Celtics player.
The Celtics bench scored 10 points.
6 of those points came in the Final 1:19, when both teams cleared their bench.
— Muhammad Alinked-in (@PBSImpulse9) June 14, 2022
Grant Williams
The other player that was given a true opportunity to provide bench production was Grant Williams. In 16 minutes of play, Williams tallied three points, three rebounds, one assist, and two blocks. He also picked up three fouls and two turnovers. Williams was just 1-2 from the field and did not find a flow in the offense. Williams also had some discouraging defensive numbers in Game 5. According to NBA.com, he allowed 13 points in just 6:11 of defensive minutes. The lack of size in the stocky 6'6″ forward has been seen in the series. While Williams constantly competes, he is unable to match guys like Andrew Wiggins.
While some of the shotmaking is out of Williams' control, the Celtics are counting on him to serve as a high-level defender. The pugnacious forward has also been a key part of the Celtics' postseason run. However, if they are hoping to climb out of this 3-2 series hole, the Celtics will need more productive minutes from the Tennessee product. Boston is reliant on the energy, effort, and production that Williams brings. They will be looking for a bounce back performance from the 23-year-old in Game 6.
Jaylen Brown
While the role players certainly did not play up to par in Game 5, the ultimate blame falls on the superstars. Jaylen Brown has had a very impressive series thus far. Unfortunately, he struggled to have the same impact in Game 5. Brown ended with 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and a steal. He was 5-18 from the field and 0-5 on three-point attempts. The former third overall pick also had a team-high five turnovers and a team-worst -19 plus/minus rating.
The uneasy dribbling ability of Jaylen Brown has increasingly become a concern in the series. He had his pockets picked on several occasions in Game 5. The Celtics star has also been held to 1-14 on three-point attempts when Draymond Green is the primary defender.
Jayson Tatum had a much-improved Game 5 and the Celtics will be hoping for a similar turnaround from Game 5. Brown has been responsible for some notable moments already in the series but had his worst game in the team's biggest game of the season.
The series will head back to Boston for Game 6 with the fate of the Celtics' season on the line. Boston has not shown their ability to flip the switch the way they did early on in the series and will need a more well-balanced effort. The Celtics are more than capable of winning two games in a row and the series should not be considered over yet.
